


See You After Spring

by hecacs



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, M/M, Mutual Pining, promises are meant to be kept, taeyong loves yuta, taeyong wants to fulfill his dream elsewhere, yuta loves taeyong, yuta waits for him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-13 02:20:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29644281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hecacs/pseuds/hecacs
Summary: Looking at the river, memories flood his mind but one stands out the most and with a disdainful sigh, he relieves it mournfully.
Relationships: Lee Taeyong/Nakamoto Yuta
Comments: 4
Kudos: 14





	See You After Spring

It is a cold winter's evening in Seoul and walking along the Han River is a quiet figure that walks slowly, his steps gentle and quiet. The young man's mitten covered hands are tucked in the pockets of his thickly padded coat, still shivering despite the heavy layers of clothing. Although he is surrounded with nothing but only cold winds that hum a high shrill, his ears are filled with noises from past memories and his mind is crowded with visions and regrets that sits heavy in his chest. He looks up to see a bench and walks towards it, sitting down slowly and tugs his scarf down so he could breathe; a white mist appears as he exhales and it slowly disappears into the night. A smile appears upon his thin lips in regard of a man that reminded him of cold breaths in the air are a reminder that we feel warmth despite the shivering cold. Looking at the river, memories flood his mind but one stands out the most and with a sigh, he relives it mournfully.

✎

"Yuta!" He turns around and sees a brown haired boy, beckoning him to come close. Yuta finds himself smiling at the sight of the boy that calls him. "Yes, hyung?" He teases, as the two of them stop their pacing, finding themselves staring at the faces of one another. "Come with me." Taeyong half-whispers, grabbing his hand and sure enough, he barely had time to say yes when he was being pulled into a sea of strangers oblivious to the two boys rambling on with one asking where they were going and the other telling him to wait. Yuta was panting as they ran from street to street and Taeyong look back at him with a laugh. Though Yuta felt like the oxygen in the air was fading bit by bit, it felt nothing compared to the tight hold this boy pulling him had unto his nimble fingers. He managed to make a mental image to hope that this would never end for in his heart, it was beating for two things.

One, that it was beating for a goal that he had built unto his heart since childhood and second, that it was beating for the boy that took his breath away with nothing but a smile and a voice that shook his world. "Are we even there yet?" Yuta asked breathless and suddenly, Taeyong stopped and if it weren't for his fast reflexes, he would've bumped against his back and fell on his ass. He managed to stand beside Taeyong and look at where he was staring.

Taeyong had led him here, in front of the Han River, the snow and frozen pieces of the river breaking away slowly. A bit of sunlight seeped in from the sky, shining down as it lightly grazed over the peaceful looking river and he had never seen it in this light, mystified and wonderous. He couldn't help but to let out a small gasp at the sight of it. "Beautiful, right?" Taeyong was the first one to break the thin ice that fell between them and he turned to see him smiling and it made his heart beat harder than it should. It made him grin and he nodded, squeezing his hand as a quiet way to say yes for fear that if he opens his mouth, he might say a bit too much especially regarding his feelings for the older. Yuta doesn't know how long they stood there, staring in silence but it happened every Friday; Yuta would wait patiently and Taeyong would call for him and they would go stare. Sometimes they would talk about how pleasant the weather is or how one another's day went but most of the time, they would just look in solace. It's the best thing Yuta looks forward to everyday as it is the only time he gets to spend with the boy he admires alone.

But it all changed on their last day of college. Wearing different uniforms, Taeyong took a quick picture of Yuta in the middle of him speaking and after it, they took a look and laughed as they saw each other with mouths frozen mid-speech. After the bell, they went off together to go to the very place that made Yuta's love for him grow stronger. "I'm sorry I never told you why I kept on bringing you here and I'm sorry to tell you that I did something you wouldn't like." Taeyong apologized quietly, turning to look at him. He whips his head around to find Taeyong with a letter in his hand and something gets lodged in his throat. It's a small white envelope with a wax print to seal it but it's open, indicating that someone has read it and Yuta freezes in his place for it's a letter with a confession for Taeyong.

The same one Yuta had hid in his locker for years.

"How?" He mumbles softly, reaching forward for the letter but Taeyong holds his wrist firmly but softly, his fingers wrapped around his wrist locking with his fingers. "It fell from your locker once and you're lucky," Taeyong chuckled softly, waving it in the air." I'm the one that found it. It would break your heart to know that I feel the same." 

Yuta almost smiled. Almost. But why would it break his heart to know his crush felt the same?

_"Why?"_

_"Because after all this time that you've been pining on me, Yuta, I'm here to say that I feel the same; only to leave as quickly as I came."_

Drop.

Yuta snapped from that memory as he felt something cold run down his cheek and fall down on his mitten. He laughed softly, wiping his eyes to stop himself from drowning in the sorrow he had felt. It has been a year and a few months since Taeyong had left to continue his duties and responsibilities to his family; as far as he knew, the boy he liked is busy elsewhere with a promising career. He could still remember Taeyong telling him to wait, to stay still and that he will come back after winter when spring has come.

Until then, he will greet the shivering cold with a lonely heart and a waning spirit as the reminder of an unwavering guilt appears as clear as day on that frozen river: that even though he tries, he is no match for what fate has in store.

**Author's Note:**

> this was actually the first work that I created involving NCT and I've kept it in my drafts for so long that I had to revise some parts. hope it's good though, enjoy!


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